LourdesAcademy Volume18 Issue9 June2017
FromtheDeskofthePrincipal InsideThisIssue
Page2 GolfOuting
BecomeaHostFamily
FromKoreatoAmerica
Page3 Counselor’sCorner
Page4 CollegeBound
Page5 CollegeBound(cont.)
DishawWinsEssayContest
Page6 GermanFairyTales
GresserFamilyTrackRecord
Page7Athletics
Page8 JurajPlaza’sYear
Page9 FarewellTour
Page10ArtGallery
DearLourdesAcademyFamily,WhatagreatdaytobeaKnight!Iamsoveryproudofallofourseniorsfortheirleadership,commitmenttomeetingtheexpectationsofourstaff,andrepresentingallofuswithhonor.WewishallofourseniorsthebestofluckintheirfuturesandprayforthegoodLordtoblessthemwithpatience,wis-dom,andunderstanding.Therehavebeenmanyeventsgoingonaroundschoolandthecommunityrecentlywhereweallcanbeveryproudofourstudents.Atschool,ouren-tirestudentbodyhasbeenengagingandhelpfulwithschoolmasses,withawardsnight,withgraduation,andwithspringsportingeventsandcon-certsjusttonameafew.ItwasalsonicetoseeourstudentsperformattheMemorialDayparadetodemonstratetheirtalentsinthecommunity.Aseveryonepreparesforsummer,wewouldliketowishallofourstudentsandfamiliesasafegraduationseason.Yourcalendarsarelikelyto?illupquicklyandIsimplyhopethatwealltaketimetoenjoythemomentswithfamily,friends,andGod.Someofourstudentswill?indsummerjobs-thankyoutothosethatwillbehelpingaroundschool-andsomewilltraveltovariouspartsoftheworld,enjoy!AsIre?lectonmy?irstyearhereatLourdesAcademy,Iwouldliketosimplysaythankyou.Firstofall,thankyoutoourstudentsandstaffforbeingwonderful.Onadailybasis,Ifeelathomewhileworkingwithstaffandstu-dents.LourdesAcademyisaspecialplacetolearnandgrowacademically,personally,andspiritually.IamveryproudtobepartoftheLourdesAcad-emyfamily.IwouldalsoliketosaythankyoutotherestofourLourdesAcademyfamily-parents,grandparents,siblings,priests,alumni,andeveryoneIhaven’tyetmentioned-forbeingsupportiveandwelcoming.NomatterwhathatwewearasamemberoftheLourdesAcademyfamily,wearestrongertogetherasateam,strivingtodowhatisbestforkids.ThankyouforyourcontinuedsupportandGodblesseachofyouoverthesummer.
LiveJesusinourHearts.
Mr.KyleSchleisLourdesAcademy6-12Principal
www.lourdesacademyoshkosh.org
lourdesacademy.blogspot.com
LourdesAcademy
SummerOf%iceHours
June5-August25
CentralBusinessOf?ice
(250N.SawyerSt.)
LourdesAcademy6-12
(110N.SawyerSt.)
Monday-Thursday
8:00AM-3:00PM
TheKnightRegister Page2
BecomeaLourdesAcademyHostFamily
Hostinganinternationalstudentisapositive,life-
changingexperience.Youwilllearnaboutanother
culturethroughtheeyesofateenagerfromanother
country.
Familiesprovideabedroom(thiscanbesharedwitha
similaragedsibling)andmealstotheirhostchild;inre-
turngainingacross-culturalexperienceandlastinggrati-
tudeofayoungpersonandtheirfamilyfromoverseas.
Ifyouareinterestedinbeingmatchedwithaninterna-
tionalstudent,pleasecompletethehostfamilyapplica-
tiononourwebsiteorcontactMBKelly426-6421
FromKoreatoAmerica:NickHwang
BySarahSchori-KnightWriterStudentJournalist-LourdesAcademy
JuniorNickHwangembarkedon
6,402milejourneyfromAnseong,
SouthKoreatoattendLourdes
Academythisyear.Anseongis
aboutanhourawayfromSouth
Korea’scapitalcityofSeoul.Thisis
Hwang’sthirdyearintheUnited
States.Previously,Nickattendeda
privateCatholichighschoolinIo-
wa.AccordingtoHwang,the
schoolwasevensmallerthanLourdeswitharound80
peopleintheentirehighschool.
HwangsaidhehasbeenlearningEnglishsinceattending
middleschoolinSouthKorea.Hwangsaidthatschoolin
SouthKoreaislongerthanschoolintheU.S.,anditstarts
at7-8a.m.andendsaround5-6p.m.Lunchanddinner
arebothanhour,andtheyhavelongstudyperiodsatthe
endoftheday.
HwangsaidheenjoysthatschoolendsearlierintheU.S.
becausethenthereismoretimeforextracurricularactiv-
ities.HwangwasamemberoftheLourdessoccerteam
thisyear.
“IlikethatAmericahasschoolteams.InKoreawedon’t
haveschoolsportsteams,”Hwangsaid.Itislikelythat
beinginvolvedinsportsallowedHwangtobetterinte-
grateintoLourdes.
HwangsaidheiscurrentlytakingSpanishII,APU.S.His-
tory,religion,English11,andPersonalFinance.“APUSH
ismyfavoriteclassbecauseitisinterestingbutchalleng-
ing,”Hwangsaid.
HwangstatedthathehasvisitedbiggercitiesintheU.S.
likeLosAngelesandNewYorkCity,andhewouldliketo
experiencelivingintheselargecities.
Don’tMissLourdesAcademy’s
12thAnnualTeeItUpforKidsGolfOuting
Friday,June9,2017
OshkoshCountryClub
AGENDA
RegistrationandRefreshments 9:30am
ShotgunStartwith4PersonScramble 11:00am
PartyonthePatio 2:00-4:00pm
Dinner 4:30pm
Reservationsrequired.Reserveyourspottoday!
Contact:ShannonGibson
Phone:920-426-3626ext.541
Email:[email protected]
Onlineregistrationavailable!ClickontheGolfOutinglinkfound
onthefrontpageofourwebsite.
PickoftheCourseTicketsonSaleNOW!
$25each~3packagestochoosefrom
• Let'sGoCruisin':Comeaboardwith25ofyour
closestfriendsandenjoyaprivate2-hourpaddle-
wheelriverboattourontheFoxwithOntheLoos
Cruises,LLC.AppetizersprovidedbyManilaResto.
Value:$1,600
• NorthwoodsEscape:Enjoyaoneweekstayin
beautifulMinocqua!Bringyourwholefamilytothis5-
bedroomhome(sleeps10)nestledintheheartofthe
Northwoodsboastinga?ireplace,gameroom,hottub
andasauna.Value:$1,200
• PackerPalooza:Fourticketstoapreseasonshow-
downbetweenthePackersandtheLARamsonAugust
31.Bonus!Additional2ticketstoPacker/Viking
gameDecember23.
Amaximumof65ticketswillbesoldforeachpackage.Amini-
mumof35ticketsmustbesold.DrawingwillbeheldJune9th
~4:30pm~OshkoshCountryClub.Ticketsavailableatthecen-
tralbusinessof?iceorbyemailing:[email protected]
TheKnightRegister Page3
Counselor’sCorner
Mrs.KellyThompson—SchoolCounselor
Phone:920-303-6682
Email:[email protected]
StudentServicesWebsite
FinalTranscripts-Seniors
Seniors,pleasedonotforgettoorderyour?inalhighschool
transcriptviaParchmentontheStudentServicesWebsite.
You’llalsoseeaCollegeTranscriptRequestsection-ifyou
tookcollegecourseswhileinhighschool,pleaseremember
toorderthosetranscriptsaswell.
Ifyouhaveanyquestionsregardingthisprocess,please
contactMrs.CleaverorMrs.Thompson.
2017/2018CourseSchedules
Students!Pleasedonotleaveforsummerbreakwithany
outstandingquestionsaboutyour2017/2018course
schedule.
PleaseseeMrs.ThompsonorMrs.Neubauerwithany
questionsorchangerequestsASAP!!
SeniorAwardsNight
CongratulationstotheClassof2017forallofyouramazing
accomplishments!Thisyear’sseniorclassreceivedacom-
bined1.8MILLIONdollarsinscholarshipandgrantfunding
forpostsecondaryeducation.Wearesoproudofyou!
KnightPridePost-itChallenge
Oursystemfacultyandstaffwereaskedtosend“positive
post-its”toourseniors.Theseinspirationalmessageswere
postedinthebustakingtheseniorsontheirgraduation
walkattheelementarysiteslastWednesday.Theseniors
thoroughlyenjoyedthissurprise.Somechosetotakealong
thenotesespeciallymeaningfultothem.
TheKnightRegister Page4
AaronHoffman
College:MarianUniversity
WhyChosen:It’sasmallschool.
Major:Communications
AdviceforFutureSeniors:Growup.
AnnaKohls
College:RiponCollege
WhyChosen:It’sasmallschooland
theteachershaveagreatbondwith
thestudents.
Major:Communications
AdviceforFutureSeniors:Don’tbe
afraidtomeetnewpeople.
PaulLee
College:UniversityofWisconsin-
Madison
WhyChosen:It’saffordablewitha
greatbusinessprogram.
Major:RealEstate
AdviceforFutureSeniors:Keepupthegoodwork.
ChristiCunningham
College:HamlineUniversity
WhyChosen:It’sabeautifulsmall
campusandit’sintheTwinCities.
Major:ForensicScience
AdviceforFutureSeniors:Don’tbeignorant,andmakeinformeddeci-sions.
JustineMcDermott
College:MarquetteUniversity
WhyChosen:Thestudent/teacher
ratioisgoodandmybrother,Seamus
goesthere.
Major:Education
AdviceforFutureSeniors:Takead-vantageofyourlastyear:gotoalotofgames,forceyourselftogotohome-comingandprom,andtalktopeopleyoudon'tnormallytalkto.
MollieBartlett
College:FoxValleyTechnicalCollege
WhyChosen:Ithadagoodprogramfor
mymajor.
Major:DentalHygiene/DentalAssistant
AdviceforFutureSeniors:Liveevery
momentlikeit’syourlast.
JackBrooks
College:MarquetteUniversity
WhyChosen:Itfeelslikehome.
Major:EnvironmentalEngineering
AdviceforFutureSeniors:Doyour
homeworkaheadoftime;itisalotless
stressful.
AlexMasini
College:PointLomaNazarene
UniversityinSanDiego
WhyChosen:Thecurrentstudents
weresuperfriendly,theclassrooms
werebrandnew,andthelocationisso
cool.
Major:Biochemistry
AdviceforFutureSeniors:Don’tworryifyoudon’tknowwhatyouwanttodoorwhereyouwanttogo.We’veallgonethroughit,andifwemadeit,youcantoo!
AustinKennebeck
College:UniversityofWisconsin-
LaCrosse
WhyChosen:Ireallyenjoyedthetour
andthecampusfeltlikehome.Even
thoughitisstillinWisconsin,IfeltlikeI
wassomewhereelse.
AdviceforFutureSeniors:Enjoyyour
timeinhighschool;itgoesbyreally
fast.
TheKnightRegister Page5
MargaretDishawwinsthe
esteemed
FiresideEssayContest
ByLilyPollack-KnightWriter
LourdesAcademyseniorMargaret
Dishawrecentlywontheesteemed
FiresideEssayScholarshipContest
thankstoherinspiringpersonal
essayabouttheroleherfaithhas
playedinherlife.
DishawexplainedthattheFiresideEssayContestisanation-
widecontestthatincludesa$1,000scholarshipgiventosix
winnersthroughoutthecountry.Inordertobehonoredas
oneofthewinners,theapplicantmustwritethemostinspir-
ingessayabouthowheorsheembraceshisorherfaithand
religiouseducation.Throughoutheressay,Dishawde-
scribedmanyofthedif?icultobstaclesandsituationsshehas
hadtofacethroughoutherlifesuchasbeingadoptedand
havingafatherwithParkinson’sDisease.
“Myfaithhashelpedmedealwiththesecircumstances,”
Dishawexplained.“IlookatsituationsandissuesthatIcan
bebitteraboutandchoosetohaveabetteroutlookonthem.”
Whilewritingheressay,Dishawexplainedthathermainin-
spirationwastheyouthministryretreatsshehasattend-
ed.Shesaidthatbeingwithinacomfortableenvironment
wheresheisabletoopenupaboutherthoughtsinspiredher
tobeabletoshareherbeliefsabouthersometimesdif?icult
lifeexperiences.
Aboutherdaughter’soutstandingachievement,Lourdes
AcademyreligionteacherCharleneDishawsaid,“Iwas
amazedandexcited.Iknewheressaywasgood,butitwas
unexpectedwhenshewon.”
Margaretsaidthatbeingtherecipientofthisawardwillhelp
herbecomemoresuccessfulinthefuture.Alongwithhelp-
ingher?inanciallyforhercollegetuitionpayments,ithas
alsohelpedherrealizeit’sokaytoshareherstoryandraise
awarenessabouttheissuesinherlife.Sheishonoredwith
tobecomethe?irsteverLourdesAcademystudentomakeit
pastthetworoundsofjudgingandactuallywinthecontest.
Therearehundredsofapplicantswhosubmitessayswhich
thengothroughtworoundsofjudgingtochoosethewin-
ners.Thisyear,Charlenesaidthattherewere23essaysthat
proceededtothesecondroundofjudging,andthereweresix
totalessaysthatweredeclaredwinnersofthe$1,000schol-
arshipcheck.Sheobviouslywasveryproudtolearnthather
daughterwasoneofthesixnationalessayscholarshipwin-
ners.
Margaretsaidthatsheplansonusingherscholarshipmoney
forcollegetuitionnextyearwhenshewillattendMount
MaryUniversityinMilwaukee,WI.Margaretplansonmajor-
inginoccupationaltherapywithaminorinpsychology.
KelseySchwochert
College:CarrollUniversity
WhyChosen:Itoffersaprivateeduca-
tionandagoodnursingprogram.
Major:Nursing/hopingtoattendmedi-
calschoolandbecomeanorthopedic
specialist
AdviceforFutureSeniors:Keeppursu-
ingyourdreams,butneverforget
whereyoucamefrom.
GrantPecore
College:UniversityofWisconsin-
Oshkosh
WhyChosen:It’sagoodschool.
Major:Undecided
AdviceforFutureSeniors:Gotoclass,
keepyourgradesupandhavefun.
ArticlesonAcademics
English
HollyJankowski
English10
TheRoaringTwentiesweredazzling,glittery,andwild!The
English10studentswentbacktothesummerof1922with
NickCarrawayleadingtheadventure.Thestudiedthetime
periodaswellasvariousthemesandsymbolsinTheGreat
Gatsby.
English11
ThejuniorshavebeenimmersedintheRomanticPeriodby
studyingitscharacteristicsandliterature.They’vefocusedon
GothicelementsbyreadingFrankensteinanddiscussinghow
thenovelisdifferentfrompopculture.
TheKnightRegister Page6
Trackrecordhurdlesonegeneration
inGresserfamily
ByMaggieBerenz-KnightWriterStudentJournalist-LourdesAcademy
ALourdestrackrecordhurdlesonegenerationasjunior
DelaneyGresserandher4x200trackteamofseniorKelsey
Schwochert,freshmanJoelyHurkman,andsophomoreAlexis
Rolphbeattheformerschoolrecordpreviouslyheldbyher
motherSusanGeffers(Gresser),AmyWing,StaceyWolf,and
PattyRioja.
“I’vebeenrunningtracksincesixthgrade,andmygoalhas
alwaysbeentobeatmymom’srecordinthe4x200,”Delaney
Gresserexplained.Delaneyhadbeentrainingsincelastseason
tobeattherecordwhenshecameextremelyclose.However,
thisseasontherelayteamhadnewmembers.
“Earlyintheseasonwehadtoworkhardtomakeour
handoffssmooth,”Delaneysaid.
OnMay5,atLourdesAcademy’shomemeethostedatTitan
Stadium,thisdedicatedgroupofgirlsracedagainsthugecom-
petitionandendeduprunningatimeof1:49.76justenoughto
beathermother’steam’spreviousrecordof1:52.10.
“Ithinkwebeattherecordbecauseofallthetimeweputin
thisseasonandthecompetitionatthemeet,”Delaneysaid.
“Plus,myextramotivationwasmymom.Shereallywantedme
tobeatherrecordandalwaysgivesmepeptalksbeforeIrace.
Shecomestoallofmymeetsandsupportsmeinallofmy
events,”Delaneysaid.
The4x200team’sachievementsdidn’tstopthere.OnMay22,
attheregionalmeet,the4x200relayteambeattheirownrec-
ordbyrunninganewtimeof1:48.65.
CoachBrentJudesaid,“Idon’thavemuchtosaybesidesthat
theyaretrulyaspecialgroupofgirlsfromeachgrade,alter-
natesincluded.”
SusanGresserisawellaccomplishedhighschooltrackathlete
herselfwhoserecordsinthe100and300hurdlesstillstand.
SusanisamemberoftheL.A.AthleticHallofFame.
Germanstudentsreadfairytales
toelementarystudents
BySarahSchori-KnightWriterStudentJournalist-LourdesAcademy
LindaKaelin’sGermanIIIstudentsvisitedtheSetonand
CabrinielementaryschoolsonMay16and17toreadGer-
manfairytalesandsharelearningopportunities.
TheGermanIIIstudentschoseEnglishfairytalestotrans-
lateintoGermanthencreatedhandcraftedbookscomplete
withcolorfulpicturesandGermantranslations.Whenthe
booksweredone,thestudentstraveledtotheelementary
schoolstoreadtheirbooksinGermantotheelementary
students.
JuniorsDelaneyGresserandNickDanielsonandseniorKa-
seyOlsentranslatedTheUglyDucklingintoGermanwhich
translatesasDerHasslicheEnte.
“It’sgreatthatwehaveanopportunitytopromoteGerman
totheelementarystudents,”Gressersaid.
JuniorsAlexWagnerandQuinnGodfreyandsophomore
MaggiePaysonalsoreadtheirbookstotheyoungstudents.
“WechoseSchneewittchen(SnowWhite)becauseitwasmy
favoritestoryasachild,”Paysonsaid.
“WhenIwasinelementaryschool,thehighschoolGerman
studentscametoreadtous.Itpartiallyin?luencedmydeci-
sionintakingGerman,”Wagnersaid.
Germanteacher,Linda“Frau”Kaelinletsthehighschoolers
leadtheelementarystudentsbyreadingthebooks.Acord-
ingtoGresser,afterreadingeachpageinGerman,thehigh
schoolersthentranslatethestoryfortheyoungstudents
andshowthepictures.
Afterreadingthestories,theelementarystudentsareeager
toaskquestions.AccordingtoPayson,somewereveryshy,
butaftergettingthestudentstalking,therewasendless
chatter.
QuinnGodfroy,AlexWagner,andMaggiePaysontranslated
thepopularSnowWhitefairytaleintoGerman.
DelaneyGresser(farleft)beathermother’s4x200team’srec-
ordthisyear.Otherteammembers(fromleft)includeAlexis
Rolph,JoelyHurkman,andKelseySchwochert.
TheKnightRegister Page7
ATHLETICS
SpringAthleticSeasonWrap-upKevinWopat,ActivitiesDirector
Congratulationstoourspringathleticteamsonoutstandingseasons!
Softball
ConferenceandWIAADivision4RegionalChampions
All-ConferenceRecognition
1stTeamAll-Conference MollieBartlett,ChloeEvans
LaurenSchiek,CiarraZemke
HonorableMenionAll-Conference KristinWetterau
TrailwaysNorthPlayeroftheYear ChloeEvans
ThefollowingsoftballathleteswerealsoselectedtoparticipateintheD4/5
SoftballStateAll-StarGame:
MollieBartlett,LaurenSchiekandCiarraZemke
Baseball
2ndPlaceTrailwaysNorthConference
All-ConferenceRecognition
1stTeamAll-Conference SawyerMcCue,Out?ield
JackBrooks,In?ield
HonorableMenionAll-Conference DougRyan,Out?ield
Golf
3rdPlaceTrailwaysConference
All-ConferenceRecognition
1stTeamAll-Conference AustinKennebeck
Soccer
Girlssoccer?inished4thintheFlywayConference.All-conferencerecogni-
tionwillbeproducedatalaterdate.
HatsofftoEllieDeGroot!Ellienowholdstwoschoolrecords-career
points(216)andcareergoals(96).
Track&Field
Girls~TrailwaysConferenceandWIAADivision3RegionalChampions
Boys~4thPlaceTrailwaysConference
StateQuali?iers
Girls
EmilyFoley 800M,4x400Relay,4x800Relay
DelaneyGresser 4x200Relay
JoelyHurkman 4x200Relay
EllenMoore 1600M,4x800Relay
AlexisRolph 4x200Relay,4x400Relay
RachaelRusso ShotPut
KelseySchwochert 4x200Relay,4x400Relay
CarlyVandenhouten 3200M,4x800Relay
KatieVanScyoc 800M,4x400Relay,4x800Relay
Alternates:MaggieHamman,AndreaBeecher~4x800Relay
AvaMcGuire,IzzyKelly~4x200Relay
EmmaZirgibel,AlexMasini~4x400Relay
Boys
AxelFrank 4x400Relay
T.JacksonMoore 1600M,4x400Relay
ColyarNewton 4x400Relay
MarshallPecore 4x400Relay
Alternates:JacobDiker,TrentTro?ka~4x400Relay
SummerStrengthProgram
LourdesAcademywillbecoordinatingasum-
merstrengthprogramforallcurrent6-12th
gradeathletes(boysandgirls)
TheprogramwillbeginMonday,June5andrun
throughJuly21.StudentswillmeetonMonday,
WednesdayandFridaymornings.Sessionsfor
thecurrenthighschoolstudentswillbeheld
from8:00-9:30am.Middleschoolstudentses-
sionswillbefrom9:30-10:30am.
Thecostis$40forthefirst7weeksofthesum-
mer.Theseworkoutswilltakeplaceinthe
LourdesAcademyWellnessCenterandoutdoor
athleticfields.
Athleteswilllearnweightliftingtechniques
designedtoimprovetheirathleticperformance.
Theywillbeeducatedonweightroomsafety,
howtoproperlyspottheirpeersandhelpmoti-
vatethemtoreachtheirgoals.
Flyersincludingtherequiredpermissionslips
areavailableonthebulletinboardoutsidethe
frontofficeandonthefrontpageoftheathletic
websiteunderathleticlinks.
Thesignedpermissionslipandcheckmade
payabletoLourdesAcademycanbeturnedinto
KevinWopatonthemorningofyourchild’s
firstworkout.
TheKnightRegister Page8
Notayearinmylifebutalifeinayear
JurajPlaza-KnightWriterStudentJournalist-LourdesAcademy“Exchangeisn'tayearinyourlife,it'salifeinayear.”This
quotebestdescribesmyexperienceasanexchangestudent.It
allbeganwithasmalldecisiontoapplytotheGlobalOutreach
programandleavemyhomeinSlovakia.Mytimeherehas
endedupbeingsomeofthebesttimesofmylife.
MyyearintheUnitedStatesconsistedofmanywonderfulex-
periencesandgreatmoments.ImmediatelyafterIcamehere,
oneofmybiggestconcernswashowIwould?itinatschool
whereeveryonekneweachotherbyname.I'msothankfulto
thepeopleatLourdes,boththestudentsandstaffmembers,
whomadeitsoeasyformeto?itinandbecomeapartofthe
school.Frommypointofview,themostimportantdecisionI
madewastojoinsportsrightinthebeginningoftheyear.I
joinedthecross-countryteam,andthankstothepeopleonthe
teamandmostimportantlyCoachPaulBrown,Ifeltwelcomed
andapartoftheteam.
ThroughdifferentclassesIgottoknowdifferentpeopleand
teachersaswell.AttendingDr.Jacobs’U.S.HistoryclassI
learnedalotofinformationaboutthehistoryofAmerica.Asan
honortomefromSlovakiaandBrettfromtheCzechRepublic,
Dr.Jacobsshowedthemovie“Anthropoid,”whichtellsthesto-
ryoftwobraveyoungmenfromCzechoslovakiawhorisked
theirlivesandtriedtoassassinateoneoftheleadersofthe
NaziEmpire.
I'malsosogladthatIhadtheopportunitytospend45minutes
everydayplayingmusicinmybandclass.Thisisanopportuni-
tyI'veneverhadinmylifesinceourschoolsystemisdifferent
fromtheAmericanone.InSlovakia,Ihadtoattendpianoclas-
sesafterschoolinmyfreetime,andthatdiscouragedmefrom
playing.ThankstoMrs.Sorenson,Irediscoveredmypassion
forpianoandlearnedhowtoplayafewnewinstruments.One
ofmybiggestexperienceswaswhenIgottomarchinthe
homecomingparadeandperformatthehalftimeshowduring
thegame.Thatwasmy?irsttimeeverparticipatinginthe
marchingband.
MywonderfulEnglishteachers,Mrs.PollackandMrs.Dolan,
helpedmeimprovemyEnglishskillsinawayIneverwould
havebeenabletowithoutcominghere.
Noteverypartofbeinganexchangestudentiseasy,though.
Thehardestpartisbeingseparatedfromfamily,friends,and
everythingfromyouroldlife.Youcometoawholenewcoun-
trynotknowinganyoneandnothavingamommyordaddy
holdingyourhandanymore.It'shardinthebeginning,but
withouttakingtheriskandfacingthechallenge,youwould
neverbeabletoexploreawholenewworld,gainexperiences,
orlearnlessonsthatnotmanypeopleyouragehave.
JurajPlazaposeswithfellowcrosscountryrunnersEmilyFoley,
KatieVanScyoc,MaggieHammanandAndreaBeecher.
Forfutureexchangestudents,Iwouldliketosuggesttonotbe
afraidofundertakingnewchallengesandtryingthings.For
futurefamilieshostingastudentfromadifferentcountry,I
wouldrecommendtreatingtheexchangestudentaspartofthe
family.
ThankstotheInternet,wearen'ttoodifferentanymore,even
thoughourculturesaredifferent.Lifeisallaboutmeetingnew
people,learningnewthings,andunderstandingotherpeople's
pointsofview.
Jurajencouragesotherstoundertakenewchallenges.
TheKnightRegister Page9
Afarewelltour:classof2017
ByMacrinaSchry-KnightWriter
StudentJournalist-LourdesAcademy
Afterthegraduationpartiesand?inalexams,itisimportantfor
thegraduatingseniortotakeamomenttobreatheandappreciate
theeventsofthelastweekofhisorhersecondaryeducation.Asa
studentatLourdesforthepasttwelveyears,I’vewatchedso
manyseniorsenjoyeventssuchastheseniorawardsnightand
thepinningmass,allculminatingwithreceivingadiplomaon
graduationSunday.Asaverynew2017Lourdesgraduate,Iam
excitedtoshareallofmyexperienceswithyou.
OnMay21,theseniorsinvitedtheirparentstothecommonsfor
anappreciationdinner.Inawelcomechangeofpace,thestudents
servedtheirparentsadeliciousthree-coursedinnerprepared
andorganizedbyseniorclassadvisorMandiHendricks.After
twelveyearsofhomeworkhelpandsportscarpools,itwaswon-
derfulbeingabletothankourparentsfortheirunconditionallove
andsupport.Whatbetterwaytosaythankyouthanwithasteak
dinner?
Ofcourse,thefundidn’tstopthere.OnMay24,anewtradition
wasstartedatLourdesAcademy:theGraduationWalk.Thesen-
iors,cladinourcapsandgowns,wereshuttledaroundthe
LourdesAcademysysteminabusdecoratedwithinspirational
notesfromwell-wishingteacherstocelebrateourhighschool
achievements.Onceattheelementaryschools,thereareveryfew
wordsthatcandescribethepridethatcomeswithlookinginto
theeyesofayoungSetonorCabrinistudentandrealizingjust
howfaryou’vecome.ItwasabeautifulcelebrationofLourdes
studentsyoungandoldcarryingontheLourdestradition,andit
wasanunforgettableexperience.
Laterthatevening,thestudentsreturnedtoLourdesfortheSen-
iorAwardsNight.Herewaswherewe,asseniors,couldreallysee
theproofofourhardwork.Asnameswerecalledforeachaward,
Ifoundmyheart?illedwithprideformyfellowclassmates.Itwas
inthismomentthatIrealizedthatinthesepastfouryears,we
havebecomesomuchmorethanclassmates;weareafamily.
The?inalcelebrationcameonMay28whenIsatbesidemyclass-
matesatthegraduationceremony.Itwasanhonortowatchmy
friendsofsomanyyearsreceivetheirdiplomas.
GraduationBlessing
LordGod,
Weaskforyouralmightyhandtobeupontheclassof2017.
Blesstheirlivesfromthisdayonwithgoodnessandlove.
Helpthemstaytruetotheirdreams,tousetheirgiftswisely,
andtowalkintothefuturewithfaith,hope,andgreatlove.
Amen
TheKnightRegisterPage10
